1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to retainer clips for maintaining a mat or rug stationary relative to an underlying floor. More specifically, this invention relates to a one-piece retainer clip which is adapted to secure a mat, such as a floor mat of an automobile, while engaging an aperture formed in the mat so as to secure the mat relative to an underlying carpet, such as the interior carpet of the automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automobiles are conventionally provided with interior carpeting for aesthetic appearances, as well as comfort for the passengers. Because the carpet is immediately exposed to whatever soil, chemicals or debris that are present on the shoes or feet of the automobile's passengers, automobile carpeting is highly susceptible to staining and wear. In addition, the carpet below the accelerator pedal is particularly prone to wear in that the driver's foot operating the accelerator will generally rest at substantially the identical position each time the driver operates the automobile.
As a result, floor mats are widely used in automobiles to protect the carpet at locations where the feet of the driver and passengers are normally placed while seated. Floor mats are typically formed from a polymeric material to which carpeting fabric may or may not be attached on an upper surface thereof. Use of floor mats in an automobile permits a majority of the soil tracked into the automobile to be removed by lifting the floor mats out of the automobile so that they may be individually cleaned. Once a floor mat has become soiled or worn to the point that it becomes unsightly, the floor mat can be replaced with a new floor mat, such that an appealing appearance to the automobile is maintained at minimal cost.
However, a floor mat is capable of protecting the underlying carpet of an automobile only to the extent that the floor mat remains in place over the most heavily used areas of the carpet. Often, the floor mat becomes displaced from its intended location as passengers enter and leave the automobile, such that the underlying carpet becomes exposed. As a result, to prevent soiling and wear of the underlying carpet, one must continuously check to ensure that the floor mats of the automobile are properly placed before entering the interior of the automobile, which is a nuisance and typically impractical to practice on a regular basis.
Accordingly, various types of carpet clips have been suggested in the prior art to secure a floor mat to the floor of an automobile so as to maintain the floor mat substantially stationary relative to the underlying carpet. A particularly notable example of such a clip is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,402 to Dichtel. The clip taught by Dichtel is generally a one-piece U-shaped member which is stamped from a relatively thin resilient material, such as a spring steel. In use, the U-shaped member is laid on its side, such that an upper leg is disposed above a lower leg. The recess formed between the two legs serves to receive a peripheral edge of the floor mat. Teeth extend downwardly from the upper leg and engage the upper surface of the floor mat, so as to retain the peripheral edge of the floor mat within the recess. The upper and lower legs are biased toward each other by the base of the clip's U-shape so as to ensure that the teeth remain engaged with the floor mat. Projecting from the lower leg are a pair of prongs which are used to anchor the clip to the underlying carpet by being forcibly inserted into the carpet.
The clip taught by Dichtel performs its intended function well, in that the clip requires minimal space when attached to the floor mat, such that the clip can be readily used within the small confines of an automoble interior. In addition, the clip is generally uncomplicated, and can be readily manufactured by conventional stamping and bending operations. However, the ability of the teeth to satisfactorily engage the upper surface of the floor mat depends in part on the thickness of the floor mat, as well as the material from which the upper surface of the floor mat is made. Consequently, the clip may not be suitable for every type and style of floor mat commercially available in the market. For example, a floor mat composed only of a thin sheet of plastic will generally not be sufficiently secured with the clip to prevent its movement relative to the underlying carpet. If the above circumstances exist, the clip taught by Dichtel will be unable to secure the mat in place and thus prevent the wear and soiling of the underlying carpet, as intended.
In addition, release of the floor mat from the clip requires that the upper leg be bent upwards so as to disengage the teeth from the floor mat. As a result, there is the potential for the clip to eventually break from repeated use or, under extreme circumstances, the clip could be plastically deformed so as to render the clip useless after a single installation.
From the above discussion it can be readily appreciated that the prior art does not disclose a clip for use in securing a floor mat to the floor of an automobile, wherein the clip is suitably adapted to accommodate a wide variety of floor mats, in terms of their thickness and materials, such that floor mats of various styles and materials will be reliably secured to the floor of the automobile so as to provide protection to the underlying carpet.
Accordingly, what is needed is a relatively inexpensive floor mat clip which is configured to accommodate a wide variety of floor mats, wherein the clip can be readily and repeatedly installed to reliably secure the floor mat to an automobile's underlying interior carpet so as to protect the underlying carpet from wear and soiling.